Connect
To Top

Life and Work with Jaci Jirik

Avatar photo

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jaci Jirik.

Jaci, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My story is not what most people would expect… my passion actually started 24 years ago at age 18 when I worked for a long-time family friend at their Italian sports car dealership in my home town Milwaukee, WI as a master detailer. I worked for them for roughly 15 years. I was a woman in a man’s world. I grew up loving cars so to me it was my dream job, well one of them anyway. The first few years I had to really prove myself to my bosses (three Sicilian brothers that are a very old country. The woman’s place didn’t belong in the garage). However, they gave me a chance because I was young and eager to learn. They saw a talent in me that can’t be taught. They recognized my analytical mind and appreciated my strive for perfection. They didn’t hold me back and often encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone. I strongly believe in the healing power of touch and I have the honor of being in an industry where touch is used to heal. I used touch as a detailer to detect flaws in the paint. I have the ability to determine if a car has been painted by detecting the thickness of the paint with my fingertips and I apply that to facials; using touch to feel for congestion and texture in the skin. I went from detailing exotic luxury sports cars to detailing faces, is what I like to tell my clients. But how did cars get me to being an esthetician?

Well, after working 15 years in a labor-intensive job, I needed a change. I wasn’t liking what I saw in the mirror every night when I went home; at 33 years old, I was very much a tomboy. No makeup (didn’t have a clue how to wear it nor even owned any makeup except the rarely worn mascara and eyeliner) covered head to toe in compound and wax residue, smelling like oil and exhaust (a smell I still secretly love despite having a large collection of perfumes). I really didn’t even take care of my skin much, and what I was using, I was later in esthetics school mortified to learn that I was using all the wrong products. I couldn’t do detailing anymore, it was taking a toll on me physically and mentally, so I left at many protests from my employers but they still supported me out of love because I had known them since age three and was like a daughter to them. They just wanted the best for me.

Over the years passing, I had several jobs in retail and retail management. I hated working retail. It was making me someone I wasn’t… bitter and angry. If you’ve ever worked retail you would know where I’m coming from. I would go home frustrated because I wasn’t as happy as I was detailing. I wasn’t being challenged and my talents and knowledge were not being utilized. I wanted more in life but I felt my skill set was limited and wondered if I wasted 15 years of my life doing something I loved. I didn’t want to waste time and money going back to school, only because for the longest time I had never been able to answer the question “What do you want to be when you grow up?” I didn’t have an answer, I worked at the dealership straight out of high school and have always been a life in the moment type of person.

Fast forward to 2010, my boyfriend and I moved to Chandler, Arizona desiring a change as we were fed up with the snow. I was living here alone for about eight months while my boyfriend remained in Wisconsin to sell our house. I was tasked with preparing our new house to be moved in to, learn the area, rebuild my network and find a job. ‘Back to retail’ I thought to myself with dread. I didn’t know anybody in Arizona so I had no one to turn to for guidance, had to figure it out myself. I saw an ad in a local Chandler paper for facials at a beauty school (Studio Academy of Beauty) and decided to check it out. I never had a facial and was in need of social interaction. The school used Dermalogica products to teach esthetics students. My skin was not the best due to neglect over the years but I looked good for being 35 years old. That facial changed me; self-care is so important. I saw improvement in my skin as I went back regularly for more facials. I also liked the idea of students learning from me by just being there; I love teaching people.

Over time, I befriended the esthetics instructor who I got to know during my facials. I was fascinated by the process and the products so I asked a lot of questions. Over the course of about five years, I continued to work retail management because on paper that’s all I was really qualified for and most days I would come home complaining to my boyfriend about how much I hated my job. One day, I went to a facial appointment at the school and broke down crying during my appointment. The power of touch can truly be powerful and healing when it comes to emotions. The instructor (my friend) took the time to talk and listen. I was unhappy with my life. She suggested becoming an esthetician. I already knew so much from the questions I interrogated her with over the years and she felt it would be a perfect fit given my background in detail. I talked to my boyfriend and told him I felt it was something I could do and be good at. He supported my decision, even offered to pay my tuition so I wouldn’t have the stress and worry of paying it back. So, at age 39, I quit the job I hated and enrolled in the same school that I was already a client at. For the first time since leaving the dealership job that I loved, I felt challenged and empowered. I had the power to change people’s lives and help them. Today, still I get the same satisfaction from educating people about their skin and seeing their transformation, just as I got satisfaction from taking a car that was in need of some TLC and making it showroom perfect.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It’s been a struggle… most of my life was a struggle but I inherited perseverance from my grandmother. I struggled with acne since I was in middle school. I was in a foster care home that wasn’t very nurturing. I didn’t have the mother influence that I needed to learn from when it came to makeup, skin care and other stuff girls my age were usually excited about. I was a tomboy trying to fit in but didn’t know where I belonged. I followed my passion for cars at the dealership but that brought a certain level of loneliness. I wanted a boyfriend just like all the other girls my age but because of my acne, I had low self-esteem. I can emphasize with my clients and they see my sincerity because I have been there. I know how it can lower self-esteem and make you want to hide from the world, so I do my best to build them up. “Even the most beautiful diamonds still have flaws. We have to be our own kind of beautiful.” Is what I often tell my clients. My biggest roadblock has been myself due to my lack of self-confidence and self-esteem. Coming from a male dominant industry and being a female who was clueless about makeup, esthetics school was very overwhelming at first. The perfectionist in me didn’t make it easy either. I have always held myself to a high standard, but sometimes that standard was unrealistic and I was equally hard on myself if I felt I was failing despite positive feedback from others. We all have different ways of learning. Some can read something once and comprehend it. Some need hands-on. Some learn by observation. I am a combination of observation and hands-on. I’m very analytical. For example, I look at a lamp but don’t see just a lamp, I see every component that makes it a lamp. Which I feel makes me good at what I do, but it hinders me sometimes because I tend to over think everything.

Never let someone tell you that you can’t do anything. You absolutely can, you just need to do it your way at your pace, not theirs. I was hired by Ulta straight out of esthetics school. I warned them that I didn’t know anything about makeup and they were fine with it, they said I’d learn it over time and they didn’t expect me to know everything about everything. But I expected that from myself. In the world I was comfortable in (automotive) ‘primer’ had a completely different meaning, but the concept I learned later was the same. The first but hardest thing to do is getting out of your own way. Don’t let that internal dialogue keep you from reaching your goals, you gotta block it out, believe in yourself. I had to take baby steps. I picked one thing at a time that I was struggling with and did everything I could to learn it inside and out; I asked a lot of questions. I let my analytical skills take over. I listened to and watched others around me and they asked questions. There is never a dumb question, you only make yourself look dumb when you don’t ask questions.

The best advice I have when struggling with something, anything, is… relate the situation to something you know and go with it. Sometimes, it’s just a matter of looking at things from a different perspective. Ask as many questions as you can and don’t expect so much from yourself all at once. I knew how to detail cars and I was great at it. Detailing faces is not any different… the steps are the essentially the same just on a smaller more delicate scale. It’s ok to have high expectations for yourself but reevaluate those expectations once in a while and make sure they are realistic. Don’t beat yourself up if you don’t get it right the first time. Even the most seemingly perfect diamonds have flaws. You didn’t give up the first time you fell when learning how to walk and now look… you can run, jump and dance! Step out of your comfort zone at least once a day, by doing something you aren’t very good at, and if you fail don’t let it define you, but only doing as well as you did last time is not good enough. Learn from it and stay on track on improving yourself. We are always learning from the minute we are born to the minute we die. Don’t lose sight of the big picture but also pay attention to the little details because it’s those little details that make that big picture. Never stop networking, the best education you can get is from watching the masters at work, so reach out to those in the same industry and don’t be afraid to ask for guidance.

There are classes I’ve taken multiple times because there are always new students that have different perspectives and we learn from each other by sharing tips and trick we have learned from experience. Find your passion and don’t look at it as a waste of time if you have to quit something you are not passionate about. Everything in life is a lesson, it’s what you take from those experiences and what you do with that knowledge is what is important. Don’t forget to have fun too. Life is too short to be bland so be bold and don’t worry about what others say or think. Those who criticize you are just upset because they either didn’t think of it themselves or aren’t brave enough to be bold.

Please tell us about Licensed Esthetician and Dermalogica Expert at Ulta.
My clients and coworkers rave about my sense of touch and my passion for sharing my knowledge. I’m all about relaxation for my clients because we live in a stressed-out society. I set the relaxing mood with some binaural music, dim lighting, warm steam towels and by listening to the energy of my clients. I’m not just a skin therapist, I am a great listener too. I refer to my treatment room as Vegas… what is said in the room stays in the room because trust is just as important. I am a Dermalogica expert and work hard at maintaining that certification by taking classes at the International Dermal Institute (A school created by the founder Dermalogica Jane Wurwand back in1983) in Scottsdale Arizona. I have my postgraduate also from the International Dermal Institute. I am passionate about the Dermalogica brand because I have used it on my own skin since 2010 and love the results. It was important to me to work at a salon that uses Dermalogica because it’s a product I can confidently promote because I use it myself so I know it works. I feel what sets me apart from the rest is I am not your typical woman (by no means, am I a girly girl but I am trying to find balance in that without losing myself) and I take a logical approach to skincare by being more about ingredient knowledge than product knowledge but I will remain loyal to Dermalogica. My spotless car was my rolling business card and now my skin is my business card and testimonial that you can have great skin if you are patient and consistent. I want you to love your skin.

Often it feels as if the media, by and large, is only focused on the obstacles faced by women, but we feel it’s important to also look for the opportunities. In your view, are there opportunities that you see that women are particularly well positioned for?
I feel anybody can do whatever they want to do. I don’t like “it’s a woman dominant industry or a male dominant industry, it’s too limiting. Women have the same opportunities as men, we just have to step up and take it. If a woman wants to be an auto mechanic, there is nothing wrong with that. If a man wants to be a makeup artist there is also nothing wrong with that. When we step outside the social norm we bring a different perspective to the industry, we become more innovative, more cutting edge and more unique. I myself have always gravitated towards the unique. I don’t feel women are challenged at all if anything I feel men feel threatened by women at times because society has conditioned them to believe they are the superior sex and there are things we are naturally better at. Women are naturally detail oriented. We are nurturing which positions us to be good teachers. If we step outside that belief that we are delicate and that the tough jobs should be left to the men, the sky ends up being the only limit.

You always need to believe to in yourself, no matter who’s around you being negative or thrusting negative energy at you, including what you tell yourself, totally block it off because whatever you believe, you become. It kinda baffles me when I see young girls trying to be just like the celebrities they look up to. It’s ok to look up to someone but you are never going to be them. Be you, take cues from them and be inspired by them but don’t try to be them. because they are not you and you are not them. Take what you like about them and put your own spin on it. Be an original, not a forgery. Be bold and quit taking life so serious. If God wanted us to be serious, there wouldn’t be a rainbow of colors, just black and white. Get creative, let the inner child out to flourish, because if we channel our inner child it opens up limitless possibilities. Life gets more fun and colorful when we take a moment to see things from their perspective. Nothing and nobody should hold you back. Everything has a level of risk to it however you’ll regret the risks you don’t take. If the fear of failure is what holds you back, stop fearing failure and get excited about succeeding but know that without failure there is no success.

Pricing:

  • 30 min. customized Dermalogica facial $47
  • 60 min. customized Dermalogica facial $63
  • Customized 30 min. ProPeel by Dermalogica $63
  • 90min. Microdermabrasion or ProPeel+ customized facial $93

Contact Info:

Image Credit:
Facial model: Kari Jo Hall – Hahn, senior designer at Ulta, Facial photos taken by: Courtney Van Wagoner, salon manager at Ulta, fireplace photo taken by: Craig Fraser

Getting in touch: VoyagePhoenix is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.

Related Items

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More in